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As the children come back from lunch, they are slow to quiet down. Calmly, the teacher rings a chime, a well-rehearsed signal for attention. She waits a moment until the last child is settled, quiet, and looking at her, then says in a conversational voice, "I see that everyone is ready for math. Let's get started." The children's focus shifts and the lesson begins.

A few simple words guided the children to a place where they could learn at their best.

Teacher language-what we say to students and how we say it-is one of the most powerful teaching tools. Through careful use of language, we can support students as they develop self-control, build their sense of community, and gain academic skills and knowledge. The Responsive Classroom approach offers specific language strategies for various areas of teaching. These strategies range from asking open-ended questions that stretch children's thinking to using respectful reminding and redirecting language when children's behavior goes off track.

Underlying all of these strategies are five general guidelines.

1. Be direct and genuine

When we say what we mean and use a kind and straightforward tone, children learn that they can trust us. They feel respected and safe, which helps them develop self-discipline and take the risks that are necessary for learning.

Many of us slip into using indirect language as a way to win compliance from children. For example, as a new teacher, I tried to get children to do what I wanted by pointing out what I liked about other children's behavior. "I like the way May and Justine are paying attention," I would cheerfully announce while impatiently eyeing Dave and Marta fooling around in the corner.

When this strategy worked, it was because the children mimicked the desired behavior in order to win praise from me. But my language did nothing to help them develop self-control. Moreover, this kind of language can be damaging to children's relationships. By holding May and Justine up as positive examples, I'm implying that the other children are less commendable. This can drive a wedge between the children.

Later in my career I learned to speak directly. To Dave and Marta in the example above, I'd say, "It's time to listen." To call the children to a meeting, I rang a chime to gain their attention, then said firmly and calmly, "Come to the meeting rug and take a seat." The change in behavior was remarkable.

Sarcasm, another form of indirect language, is also common in the classroom. "John, what part of 'Put your phone away' don't you understand?" a teacher asks. The students laugh, and the teacher thinks she has shown that she has a sense of humor. But she has embarrassed John and diminished his trust in her. And even though the other students laughed, they too might feel less trusting of the teacher, no longer seeing her as a protector but as someone who has the potential to use words in a hurtful way. It would be more effective for the teacher to directly state, "John, put your phone away." If he doesn't respond, then it's time to try another strategy, such as the use of logical consequences.

2. Convey faith in children's abilities and intentions

Our language shapes how children see themselves and their world. When our words and tone convey faith in children's desire and ability to do well, the children are more likely to live up to our expectations of them.

"When everyone is ready, I'll show how to plant the seeds." "You can look at the chart to remind yourself of our ideas for good story writing." "Show me how you will follow the rules in the hall." These words, said calmly, in an even voice, communicate a belief that children want to and know how to listen, cooperate, and do good work. The students then come to see themselves as respectful listeners, cooperative people, and competent workers, and are more likely to behave accordingly.

And when they do behave positively, it's important to take the time to notice and comment on it, naming the specific behavior. "You finished cleanup in less than five minutes today!" or "You're trying lots of different ideas for solving that problem. That takes persistence," a teacher says warmly without gushing. Such observations tell students why we have confidence in them and provide hard evidence that they should believe in themselves. When children believe in themselves, they are more likely to work hard at learning and to enjoy the process. Our language plays a central role in helping children develop this critical self-confidence.

3. Focus on action

Because children tend to be concrete thinkers, it can be effective to name specific actions rather than abstract terms. For example, rather than telling children to "be respectful," it's usually more helpful to tell them exactly what to do: "When someone is speaking during a discussion, it's time to listen. That means eyes on the speaker and hands in laps."

Sometimes it's effective to prompt students to name the concrete behaviors themselves. To a student who has trouble focusing during writing time, I say matter-of-factly, "What will help you think of good ideas for your story and concentrate on writing them down?" The student might then respond, "I can look at our ideas chart" or "I can find a quiet place to write, away from my friends."

I am not advocating that we always avoid using abstract terms such as "respectful" and "responsible." However, when we do use these terms, it's important to associate the words with concrete actions. Classroom expectations such as "treat each other with respect" and "be a responsible learner" will be most meaningful to children if we help them picture and practice what those expectations look like in different situations.

Focusing on action also means naming the desired behavior rather than saying something about the child's character or attitude when we want a student to change. For example, frustration can lead us to chide a student who chronically does poor work. "I don't think you even care!" we might state. This does nothing to help the student change. In fact, these words can reinforce the child's negative sense of himself and lead to defensiveness and resentment.

It's more helpful in such situations to issue a positive challenge that names the behavior we want: "Today let's see if you can concentrate on your project for ten minutes. What would help you do that?" or "Your job today is to record five observations of our crickets. Think about what you'll need to do before you start." The focus is now on what the student can do. It shows him how he can work at his best.

4. Keep it brief

It's difficult for children to follow long strings of words. "When you go out to recess today, be sure to remember what we said about including everyone in games, because yesterday some kids had an issue with not being included in kickball and four square, and we've talked about this . . ."

By the time we finish talking, many of the students are thinking about other things. Few have followed the entire explanation.

Children understand more when we speak less. "Who can tell us one way to include everyone at recess?" The children now have an opportunity to remind themselves of the positive behaviors. If the expectations for recess have been adequately taught and practiced, children will be able to make good use of such a reminder.

5. Know when to be silent

The skillful use of silence can be just as powerful as the skillful use of words. Silence allows children to think, rehearse what to say, and sometimes to gather the courage to speak at all.

We can see the benefit of silence if, after asking a question, we pause for three to five seconds before taking responses from students. Three to five seconds can feel uncomfortably long at first. But if we stick to it-and model thoughtful pausing by waiting a few seconds ourselves to respond to students' comments-we'll set a pace for the entire classroom that will soon feel natural. The whole class will then be rewarded with classroom conversations of higher quality.

Being silent also allows us to listen to students. Listening means resisting the impulse to jump in and correct students' words or to finish students' thoughts. To listen is to maintain our attention until the speaker is clearly done and to try to understand what the speaker said before formulating a response.

When we listen to students like this, we model respectful interaction in a community of learners. When we allow students to speak at their own pace, we help them learn because speaking is an important means of consolidating knowledge.

Opening the doors of possibility

Incorporating these five principles of teacher language into our daily communication with students helps us build a classroom where students feel safe, respected, and engaged. By paying attention to our language and using it to open the doors of possibility for children, we help them become successful learners.
This article is an adapted excerpt from The Power of Our Words: Teacher Language That Helps Children Learn, 2nd Edition, by Paula Denton.
Tags: Redirecting Language, Reinforcing Language, Reminding Language

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The Power of Teacher Language | Responsive Classroom

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As the children come back from lunch, they are slow to quiet down. Calmly, the teacher rings a chime, a well-rehearsed signal for attention. She waits a moment until the last child is settled, quiet, and looking at her, then says in a conversational voice, "I see that everyone is ready for math.

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Teacher Language to Prevent/Respond to Oppositional behavior (for any child)

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Teacher Language to Prevent/Respond to Oppositional behavior (for any child)

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Offering kids choices, safe spaces, and positive reinforcement can help teachers avoid problems-or manage them when they arise.

Elliott Golden / The iSpot

Most children will, at times, argue and test limits. Yet some kids are defiant and hostile to a degree that interferes with their daily lives-behavior that's sometimes diagnosed as Oppositional Defiant Disorder, or ODD, according to a story by WeAreTeachers.

"Students with ODD disrupt their own lives and often the lives of everyone nearby," write the report's authors. "[They] push the limits of defiance far beyond reason. Their problem behavior is much more extreme than that of their peers, and it happens much more often."

According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, kids with ODD exhibit "an ongoing pattern of uncooperative, defiant, and hostile behavior toward authority figures that seriously interferes with the child's day-to-day functioning," for six months or more. Symptoms like frequent temper tantrums, excessive arguing with adults, and mean and hateful speech when upset, are usually seen across multiple settings, but especially at home or school. While a direct cause remains unclear, "biological, psychological, and social factors may have a role," the academy notes. Up to 16 percent of children may have the disorder, and children with ADHD are especially prone.

Though a teacher's first reaction to ODD might be to react defensively, this can backfire and create a power struggle with the student, say experts. Instead, teachers who've worked with students with ODD recommend a set of strategies that will address challenging behavior, and help you start building relationships with hard-to-reach students.

"We all have the capacity to learn, change, and grow," writes special education teacher Nina Parrish. "When given the right tools and environment, students with problematic behavior can learn more productive strategies that will help them have positive and effective interactions with others."

1. Be Calm and Consistent: As a new teacher, Parrish says she quickly learned that reacting with anger when her students with ODD acted out made the behavior worse and students became "amused or encouraged by upsetting an adult." Instead, Parrish recommends trying to keep a positive tone to your voice, adopting neutral body language, and being "cautious about approaching the student or entering their personal space as this might escalate the situation."

Consistency with words and actions is also important when working with kids with ODD. Teacher Brandy T. tells WeAreTeachers she routinely uses the same set of "trigger words" so her students know she's serious. When students in her class begin to argue with her, "I simply say either, 'not now,' 'later,' or 'fix the issue.'" When her students hear 'fix the issue,' for example, she says that's the signal to "go to their chill-out space if they need to calm down."

2. Reinforce Positive Behavior: For all kids, but especially children with ODD, it's important to "switch your focus from recognizing negative behavior to seeking out demonstrations of positive behavior," writes Parrish. She sends home positive notes when students show behavior improvements, even if they're small gains.

Additionally, consider offering students the opportunity to earn certain privileges, suggests WeAreTeachers, rather than "taking those privileges away as punishment." For example, give kids the opportunity to earn rewards-like a bit of iPad time or lunch with a teacher.

3. Find Out What's Going On: Behaviors, notes Parrish, help students "obtain something desirable, or escape something undesirable." She suggests thinking about behavior as feedback, or a way of communicating, an approach that's "helped me work more effectively as a teacher with students who display problem behaviors." Figuring out factors that contribute to students with ODD acting out can help you develop a plan for addressing their difficult behaviors in the classroom.

Sometimes, it's a matter of picking up on a student's signals that their emotions are building long before things reach a breaking point. When students who've experienced trauma are beginning to feel upset, they often show physical signs of their mounting distress: balling up fists, withdrawing from classroom interaction, or clenching their jaw, writes Micere Keels, an associate professor at the University of Chicago and a trauma-informed educator.

"Many educators tend to ignore students' increasing signs of agitation, hoping they'll eventually calm down. But when disregarded, these minor behaviors can quickly escalate," writes Keels, who also recommends identifying students' triggers, like touch or emotionally difficult anniversaries, to avoid situations entirely.

4. Create a Safe Reset Space: Kids with ODD "can learn to recognize when they're feeling overwhelmed and getting ready to challenge or defy," according to WeAreTeachers. "Giving them a safe space to calm down and rethink their choices can be beneficial."

At Fall-Hamilton Elementary, a trauma-informed school in Nashville, Tennessee, for example, every classroom has a nook-called a peace corner-with a comfortable seat, a timer, and items like stuffed animals, sensory squeeze toys, and simple drawing and writing supplies. It's a spot where kids can take a break and reset. The school also recognizes that teachers may need a time out too. Using a strategy called Tap-in/Tap-Out, teachers can ask a colleague via text message to briefly cover their class if they are about to lose their cool.

"A dysregulated adult cannot regulate a dysregulated child," says school principal Mathew Portell. "Use strategies that honor the student's emotions and need for space while also getting their systems to calm in a safe way."

5. Offer Choices: It's important to "affirm your students' autonomy by giving them choices," writes Keels, about best practices for de-escalation. When kids feel respected, "their sense of belonging and mood will often improve."

She recommends avoiding ultimatums like "You better sit back down or I'll send you to the office." Instead, clearly communicate expectations and limits so kids understand. You might say, "I see you're upset, but it's not OK to yell at me. You can either go get a drink of water and come back in five minutes, or sit in the reading chair and I will check in with you in five minutes," says Keels.

In the heat of the moment, it's important to avoid an argument, teacher Holli A. tells WeAreTeachers. "State your choices, then walk away," she says. "Give the student time to process and decide which choice to make. If they don't like the choices, don't engage. When they try to argue, repeat the choices, and walk away again. If the student still will not choose, they do not get to participate in their preferred activity."

6. Build Connections: Often, kids with ODD "are looking for a relationship with a teacher who can help them deal with problems on their own, instead of making them stand out in a negative way," according to WeAreTeachers. "Building a connection with them will help get to the root of the behavior."

Though teachers can feel the need to create boundaries with students, simply talking with them informally can build invaluable connections that influence their behavior in the classroom, says middle school math teacher Cicely Woodard.

Woodard says she intentionally makes herself approachable to students and tries to learn interesting details about them. "Some of my students tell me stories about their lives during the five minutes between classes," Woodard says. "I stop what I am doing, look them in the eyes, and listen."

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Offering kids choices, safe spaces, and positive reinforcement can help teachers avoid problems-or manage them when they arise.

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Morning Meeting Greetings - Picture Greeting

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Movement Breaks as Individual Intervention

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Movement Breaks as Individual Intervention

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Scanning around our Morning Meeting circle, I noticed that students’ eyes were riveted on the sharer—all except for Justin, a child with a high need for sensory input and physical movement. Justin was ramping up. His eyes were flashing from me to the sharer. His hands were flapping, and he was begin…

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Creating Equity Using Responsive Classroom Approach

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Creating Equity Using Responsive Classroom Approach

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Calming Down in Time-Out (Interactive Modeling)

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Overview of Responsive Classroom Practices for P-G8

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Overview of Responsive Classroom Practices for P-G8

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The Responsive Classroom approach is informed by the work of educational theorists and the experiences of exemplary teachers. Read more!

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Our students have experienced unprecedented changes in their daily routines and communities. The focused attention on racial injustice after George Floyd's murder and calls for societal and governmental change at all levels have brought uncertainty and in many cases turmoil into the lives of our students and their families.

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My 3 Favorite Morning Meeting Games // games for morning meeting in kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade

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While giving the January spelling assessment, I paused to look around the classroom and here's what I saw: Sara was yawning. Ben held his head in his hands. Julie's head was down on her paper, and Justin was tapping his pencil while jiggling his feet under his chair. It was not a picture of first graders doing their best to "show what they know" about all they'd learned in spelling. I knew I had to stop and do something to get them all back in the groove. Movement breaks to the rescue!

"Pencils down," I announced. "Everyone find an 'Aka Baka Soda Cracker' spot. Remember to show safe and careful jumping. We'll play four rounds. Here we go . . ."

[In this activity, children chant, jump, and make predictions while practicing keeping a steady beat. You can find instructions for "Aka Baka Soda Cracker" in 80 Morning Meeting Ideas for Grades K-2.]

After some jumping, giggling, and a final silent round that allowed them to regain self-control, students returned to their seats. They picked up their pencils with renewed focus. Walking around, I saw that most of them were spelling most of their words accurately. Soon, they finished the assessment.

What are movement breaks?

Movement breaks are brief intervals that enable all students to move their bodies and help teachers to engage learners in physical ways. Chants, poems, even Morning Meeting greetings and activities can be used as movement breaks throughout the day.

How do movement breaks help students?

Like many other teachers, I've found that quick, frequent breaks not only enable students to stay focused on learning-they can even increase learning. By using movement breaks at the right time, I can help students maximize their attention and stay on task. That's why I often lead a rousing game of " Double This Double That " during Writer's Workshop or a quick round of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" during assessments.

How do movement breaks help teachers?

I've found that I also benefit from movement breaks. First, I see the fruits of my labor come to life. For example, a quick game of "Hot or Cold?" allows me to see how successfully my students have come together as a community. In this familiar game, students must work together to achieve one goal: guiding a seeker to find a hidden item. They call out "hot" if the seeker moves toward the item and "cold" if she moves away. Their cheers as they celebrate their collective success validate the time I spend creating a healthy classroom community.

Second, the game allows me to connect with my students on a different level, if only for a minute. We engage in a fun activity as a group. The dynamic of the classroom changes subtly; we smile at each other and share laughter and a silly moment together.

Finally, movement breaks release stress! With high-stakes assessments, new initiatives, and new evaluation systems in place, I know I am more patient, more understanding and more able to be "in the moment" when I get to release some built-up stress from my day.

Movement breaks benefit both you and your students. Using them at the right time helps increase student focus, decrease stress, and create opportunities for community building and fun. Plan to use movement breaks more often this week-and consider trying one during a time in the school day when you haven't before. If you do, leave a comment to let me know how it goes! I'd love to hear from you.

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While giving the January spelling assessment, I paused to look around the classroom and here's what I saw: Sara was yawning. Ben held his head in his hands. Julie's head was down on her paper, and Justin was tapping his pencil while jiggling his feet under his chair.

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The classroom management of ODD pupils can't be left to chance.

If you have a child with ODD in your classroom:

you need a joined-up set of strategies proven to manage their specific behaviours successfully

you need them from day one

Learning from your mistakes is not the way to go.

Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder actively seek out confrontation, are quick to argue and actively disobey adults.

If we fall into the trap of managing pupils with ODD in the traditional way – with simple systems of classroom rewards and consequences – we may actually be encouraging inappropriate behaviour.

If you want success, you need the right approach from day one.

A change of approach

Dr. Liz Bragg, from the Royal College of Paediatrics, explains that:
"ODD is often considered to be extreme behaviour, for example excessive arguing, throwing temper tantrums and blaming others for your mistakes."
(If you're interested in identifying students with ODD, this brilliant infographic will help you.)

That means we need a smarter approach to managing children with ODD.

We want to:

be responsive to the pupil's need for control

help them learn that actions have consequences

help them accept a person in authority telling them 'no'

Here's advice from three experts about how to do exactly that in your classroom.

Understand you're not the cause of the defiance – you're just an outlet for it

It's very easy to take the behaviour of children with ODD personally.

Don't.

The first step to managing their behaviour is to understand that it's directed at authority figures in general.

In her article Oppositional Defiant Disorder in Children, Leah Davies, M.Ed., explains that children with the condition haven't developed the coping strategies for dealing with frustration you'd expect in their classmates.

That has an impact on how we need to manage students with ODD in the classroom.

Dr. Davis has translated these difficulties into 25 key points for teachers to consider.

Here are the 5 we think are most important:

Recognise that your normal classroom management techniques are likely to be ineffective. The child will misbehave just to get a reaction. This changes the game.

Focus on a small numbers of behaviours at a time and work on those. Decide on which behaviours are affecting the student the most and focus on those.

Avoid direct praise. The child's instincts are to do the opposite of what you say. If you congratulate them for working quietly, you're encouraging them to start shouting out, singing or worse.

Instead, acknowledge progress by giving quiet feedback to the child. Try expressing this as an impartial measure of improvement (for instance, your noise level today is A+).

Work hard to be clear and consistent. The child needs this to learn and improve in the long-term.

You can read the rest of the points in her article.

Don't avoid consequences

Victoria Trix at Brighthub Education reminds us that the pupil is not acting inappropriately just to make you (and the rest of the class) miserable.

Their behaviour is due to their lack of resilience and inability to deal with frustration.

However, while we need to be reactive and flexible when teaching children with ODD, the student has to learn that actions have consequences.

Victoria goes on to say:

the consequence must be something the child wishes to avoid

that means you may need to deviate from the school's behaviour policy...

...which will involve the discretion/support of school management and the SENCO

Remember, giving (or even talking about) a consequence to a child with ODD can result in fireworks.

So, before you do, be prepared. Ask yourself:

is now the right time to talk about the sanction (or would it be better if I delayed the conversation until the student's more receptive)?

do I need additional adult support when I have that talk?

if I delay that conversation, how do I reassure the rest of the class that I haven't just ignored the student's behaviour?

But discipline by itself isn't the answer

In her article Deconstructing Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Mona Delahooke Ph.D., argues that the way to help children improve isn't simply through extra rules and punishments.

The child is experiencing a strong emotion (frustration) that they're finding hard to deal with. The threat detection system in the child's brain is overacting to that frustration – leading to a fight-or-flight response.

To control this reaction, the student needs to:

understand what is happening at a biological level (what happens during the fight-or-flight episode, why they're having it)

recognise how that feels in their own body

think about the response in a different way

There's lots of evidence to suggest that if we understand why our body is behaving in a certain way, we can consciously override its fight-or-flight system and react differently.

For instance, you can enjoy the thrill of a roller-coaster ride, because you know you're not in a real life-or-death situation. You can consciously adjust your response to strong emotions (like frustration, anger or fear) depending on the situation you're in.

You're not a slave to your biology.

In the same way, the child can learn that their classroom frustrations don't warrant a fight-or-flight response – and react more appropriately.

Next steps

Obviously, the earlier preventative work is put in place, the sooner you'll see results in the classroom.

To make the best progress, children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (and their families) will need access to therapy from medical professionals.

To get that quickly, teachers and schools need a way to identify children with behavioural special needs – conditions like Oppositional Defiant Disorder.

Our free SEN Guidebook is designed to help. It'll help you link specific special needs (including autism, attachment disorder and ADHD) to classroom behaviours. Then you can get the right professionals involved, and a plan in place to support pupils quickly.

We think it's so important we've made it available for free.

Download it from here.

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Students with ODD? Here's practical advice from 3 classroom experts

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If you have a child with ODD in your classroom: you need a joined-up set of strategies proven to manage their specific behaviours successfully you need them from day one Learning from your mistakes is not the way to go. Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder actively seek out confrontation, are quick to argue and actively disobey adults.